I’ll Retire After Saving the World - Chapter 34

[ Chapter 34: Half-Baked Mage (1) ]

Hong Seok-young looked around at the children in the classroom for the first time in a while. It had been a long time since he had seen them clean and dressed in their uniforms, rather than their usual dusty and grimy appearance.

Lee Mi-sun had insisted that the children needed uniforms for this very reason. After all, there was no easier way to foster a sense of belonging than with shared clothing.

Hong Seok-young shifted his gaze. Compared to the children, who were staring intently with bright eyes, the man standing at the back of the classroom looked utterly disinterested. If he had heard Seok-young’s thoughts, he would have sarcastically remarked that wearing a uniform in a dump like this didn’t make it look any better.

In fact, judging by his expression, he seemed to be thinking that very thing. Seok-young, who had been chuckling quietly, cleared his throat. Today, he had an announcement to make.

“It’s already been three months since the school opened, hasn’t it, kids?”

The students’ eyes became curious. Was this all he had to say after making them sit down? It was a sign that something unusual was about to happen.

“Since we are an educational institution after all… we’ve decided to imitate one thing.”

“Imitate?”

“Yes. Exams.”

* * *

Park Seo-hyun blinked. The end of her hair was poking her eyes.

“Of course, we are not a normal school.”

Despite dropping such a huge bombshell, the principal explained nonchalantly.

“So, instead of a regular exam, we’re going into a dungeon.”

Dungeon!

At the mention of exams, the students had been quiet as mice, but at the mention of a dungeon, everyone started murmuring. Park Seo-hyun held her breath quietly.

The principal waited until the children naturally quieted down.

“I understand that none of you have actually tackled a dungeon before.”

They all knew that the real measure wasn’t entering the dungeon but conquering it.

Among the students remaining at the pilot high school, Yoo Hye-eun and Choi Jin-woo were the only ones who had never entered a dungeon.

Lee Seung-yeon and Soon Soon-jin had been taken around for early education by the master of Dasun. Han Eun-young also had an older brother who took on that role. Oh Hyun-wook and Seo Han-seong were…

Park Seo-hyun looked down silently at her desk. Papers covered with runes were scattered everywhere.

She had also entered a dungeon with her grandfather when she was young. It had even been an A-rank dungeon.

It seemed too terrifying to take a young granddaughter into such a dungeon, but her grandfather had carefully chosen it. It was a place without dangerous monsters, so there was no need to fight.

Instead of monsters, it was a dungeon famous for its complex maze and traps that warped dimensions to ensnare hunters.

It was called the Alice Dungeon.

The colorful walls and decorations like a fairy tale were enough to make a child laugh.

Her grandfather had navigated the dungeon leisurely with his granddaughter in his arms. No matter how intricate the maze, it couldn’t block the path of the Grand Mage, nicknamed “The Pathfinder.”

“Because of the incident in Myeong-dong, practice has been repeatedly postponed… So we’re combining it with this.”

The principal continued explaining without paying any attention to the children’s commotion.

Normally, she would have listened intently.

“…….”

Park Seo-hyun brought her pencil to the paper filled with runes.

If it weren’t for the dense runes, one could have seen the delicate drawing made with a pencil.

Grandfather’s unique magic.

He had learned not to draw magic formulas where others could see them. But….

‘It’s not like I can use it anyway.’

The paper got caught on the blunt pencil tip and tore.

“It’s been almost two months since Myeong-dong.”

“Oh, when you say it like that, it makes me nervous….”

“Hunter’s intuition?”

“Woo said Hunter’s intuition is not to be trusted.”

The children burst into laughter. The principal laughed along with them.

“Anyway, I think your skills have improved over those two months.”

“Teacher, I’m really anxious.”

“This time, you’ll be tackling the dungeon on your own.”

“On our own?”

“The dungeon you’ll be tackling is right next to this one….”

“Isn’t that a B-rank?”

“No, not that one.”

“But it’s still a C-rank?”

“Are you not confident?”

At the principal’s question, the children looked at each other.

“It’s a dungeon….”

“Are we really going alone?”

“Is it okay for us to enter a C-rank? What about D-rank or E-rank?”

“Monsters don’t appear in E-rank dungeons.”

“That’s why I’m saying it!”

As the children’s voices grew louder, the principal’s smile deepened.

“Ahem.”

A small cough came from the back of the classroom. Park Seo-hyun glanced behind.

Woo Hee-jae was not as chatty as the principal. Although he couldn’t be described as taciturn, he only said what was necessary.

So, while everyone grumbled about Woo Hee-jae’s tough classes, no one spoke ill of him. Despite everything, Woo Hee-jae was the first reliable Hunter the children had met aside from their families and Hong Seok-young. One who would risk his life without hesitation to save them.

“Teacher Woo will go with you.”

“With Teacher Woo?”

“He has already assessed the dungeon. From now on, you will learn how to tackle the dungeon.”

Realizing this, tension began to build among the children.

“Teacher Woo will grade you on how well you perform. He won’t help unless it’s truly dangerous. Teacher Woo.”

The man standing at the back of the classroom came forward.

The teacher scanned the classroom with sharp eyes.

“From now on, you are the assault team.”

Gulp.

Someone swallowed hard. Park Seo-hyun glanced up from the torn runes and magic formulas.

“First, we’ll check the dungeon information.”

The principal stepped aside for Teacher Woo. In terms of dungeon experience, there were few in the world with more than him.

This meant that Teacher Woo Hee-jae’s lessons were valuable.

Teacher Woo Hee-jae’s teachings were invaluable. Every word he uttered with a nonchalant expression was precious. In fact, some students had improved their skills while the principal was away.

Lee Seung-yeon spoke with a peculiar expression.

‘Honestly, the principal’s explanations are too vague. Saying do it like this or like that, what is that? Only Oh Hyun-wook would understand.’

‘…I just guess by intuition.’

‘Where does that even work? In contrast, Teacher Woo… he may be harsh, but he explains why you shouldn’t do things that way and how to do them correctly in a way I can understand.’

It wasn’t different for him and Choi Jin-woo.

‘Can we just learn something like this?’

At Myeong-dong, he was too out of it to think deeply. But the more he pondered, the heavier the value of the runes felt. Why? Why was he teaching this without any cost?

Park Seo-hyun recalled what Woo Hee-jae always told him.

‘You will become a Grand Mage.’

‘You have that much talent.’

Of course, he didn’t believe it. Listening to what was said in the rune classes, he wasn’t a complete novice in magic, but still, the teacher was not a mage. Only a mage can recognize another mage.

‘Seo-hyun. You could become a mage greater than this grandfather.’

…That was just a compliment from a grandfather to his granddaughter.

Moreover, the things Woo Hee-jae said weren’t even compliments. They were words meant to scold him.

‘You can take it easy.’

Grandfather worried that he focused too much on magic.

‘You’re doing well.’

There’s no need to be perfect.

‘Well done.’

If you do your best, you can become a great mage.

‘With your ability, you can do it.’

Grandfather believed in Seo-hyun.

‘Future Grand Mage.’

Even without grandfather, Seo-hyun.

‘Will become one.’

She will be fine.

‘You can do it.’

So.

‘You.’

Seo-hyun….

Clench.

His jaw shifted as he bit down hard, causing his teeth to grind.

Park Seo-hyun snapped out of it in surprise. Fortunately, the other kids didn’t seem to hear, as Woo Hee-jae’s explanation continued.

“The monsters in this dungeon are of one type. You could say it’s the most basic type. Even with your current skills, you can handle them.”

But he felt eyes on him.

He knew.

He knew well enough that things couldn’t continue like this.

“If everyone works together.”

Woo Hee-jae drew a stick figure on the board. It was evident it wasn’t a person, as Woo Hee-jae added fairy wings that resembled dragonfly wings.

A C-rank dungeon near the pilot high school.

A no-name dungeon of the Fairy Forest type. The monster that appeared was a pixie.

With green skin and sharp teeth, pixies roamed in groups. They were highly aggressive, and once a creature tasted human flesh, it would become obsessed with it.

Their size was about that of a child, and their hideous appearance made them resemble goblins more than fairies. However, the pair of wings on their backs weren’t merely decorative; they also allowed flight.

Park Seo-hyun shrank further. As his body nearly sank into the creaking chair,

“That’s the rough explanation…. After lunch, we’ll have individual consultations. Think about what you lack when facing pixies.”

“Ugh.”

“Teacher, we’ll get indigestion eating like this.”

Lee Seung-yeon whined.

Woo Hee-jae scoffed.

“As a Hunter, you need to objectively assess yourself.”

“Listening to you, teacher, being a Hunter is like… being a superhuman? You have to be able to do everything.”

“Except for intuition.”

“And no luck.”

“No friends, either.”

“Teacher, you don’t have friends, do you?”

“…….”

Woo Hee-jae looked at Lee Seung-yeon with an exasperated expression.

“Do you have friends?”

“Of course. They’re all my friends.”

Lee Seung-yeon grinned widely, pointing at his classmates in the room.

“Other than them?”

“Uh….”

“Even if you call them friends, they’re just classmates. There are only eight of you. What if you fight? Will you drop out?”

“Wow. When you say it like that, it sounds really heartless, teacher.”

“Besides the people here, do you have any friends?”

“…….”

Lee Seung-yeon pursed his lips and fell silent.

Woo Hee-jae laughed triumphantly and then ran his dry hand over his face.

“…Enough, just go eat. The principal brought lunch today.”

While the other children followed the principal out of the classroom,

Park Seo-hyun remained seated quietly. Woo Hee-jae started to leave but then approached Park Seo-hyun.

“…What are you doing?”

There was a sense of awkwardness. The teacher didn’t like him. It was natural. Wasn’t it his fault that the teacher had been in danger in Myeong-dong…?

If only he had drawn the runes correctly.

He was already half-baked.

What’s the use of knowing unique magic? What’s the use of remembering all the magic his grandfather taught him?

He couldn’t use any of his grandfather’s magic and could barely manage basic magic.

“Uh… uh, Park Seo-hyun?”

Tears dripped down his cheeks.

He didn’t use to show such weakness. Somehow, he had always hidden it and pretended to be a proper mage.

“Did… did I say something too difficult?”

“T-Teacher.”

“Did I… no… why? Should I call the principal? Or Teacher Kim Chae-min?”

What had the principal said when he asked if he wanted to enroll at the pilot high school?

‘If there’s something you don’t know, you should get help from an expert. That’s what schools are for.’

But some things just don’t work out.

Magic.

Park Seo-hyun wanted to become a mage like his grandfather.

But he had reached the age where he understood that there are many things in the world that you can’t do just because you want to. He was no longer the little child who entered the dungeon in his grandfather’s arms.

“I… I….”

“Yes. What is it?”

“I want to quit school….”

Of course, to Woo Hee-jae, it was a bolt from the blue.